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Final photos are taken as NIRSpec is prepared for shipment

Date: 30 September 2013
Satellite: JWST
Copyright: EADS Astrium

Staff from EADS Astrium, the prime contractor for NIRSpec (the Near InfraRed Spectrograph), prepare the instrument for shipment from Germany to the United States where it will be integrated into the James Webb Space Telescope. The instrument flew from Munich to Baltimore, arriving early on 20 September.

NIRSpec, one of four instruments on JWST, is a multi-object spectrograph capable of observing more than 100 astronomical objects simultaneously. It will support JWST's four main science themes by providing low, medium and high-resolution spectroscopic observations.

NIRSpec is built by European industry to ESA's specifications and managed by the ESA JWST Project at ESTEC, the Netherlands. The prime contractor is EADS Astrium GmbH in Ottobrunn, Germany. The NIRSpec detector and MSA subsystems are provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.